10 Punk Albums You Need To Own
6. Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables - Dead Kennedys
Punk was always known for sticking it to the man. Whether it was through the activism offstage or the tirades while onstage, everyone from the Clash to the Sex Pistols weren't afraid to speak their minds once they were given the microphone. While punk and politics tend to go hand in hand sometimes, no album did it better than Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.
Coming from the California hardcore scene, the Dead Kennedys were true freaks of nature, with Jello Biafra being a human timebomb ready to go off. Even though every song was an absolute adrenaline rush, there were some serious topics laced throughout each track, from the teardown of rich bigwigs on "Kill the Poor" to the pastiche of the college demographic on "Holiday in Cambodia." From one track to the next, nothing was off the table for these guys, with "California Uber Alles" being one of the boldest indoctrinations of President Ronald Reagan.
Though the message is front and center, the music is the real backbone behind everything, with East Bay Ray providing some of the most inventive guitar lines of his generation, which sit right on the verge of tuneful and chaotic at all times. The Dead Kennedys may have been too political for their own good at times, but the punk attitude on display here has not been matched by any other act since.